


Story Of A Girl

by bitternessbitesback



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Child Abandonment, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Murder, No closure, Scars, Suspense, Therapy, Tragedy, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2019-10-06 09:39:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17342954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitternessbitesback/pseuds/bitternessbitesback
Summary: Soul Evans has always been able to figure people out, it's a gift, so when he is seated next the quietest girl in class, he isn't expecting anything different. Yet she is and his curiosity is piqued. //// This is a rewrite since I accidentally deleted the original ////





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have written and rewritten this story more times than I can count and have honestly never been happy with it. I couldn't put my vision for this story into the right words back in 2013 and even this past year in 2018 I was still having trouble with this story, so I've decided to revamp it, starting from the very beginning. I know some of you have been patiently waiting for the next installment for ages and I thank you for sticking with me for so long. This story won't be how you remembered it, and honestly it's for the best. I really want to make this a story I'm proud so once again thank you so much for commenting all these years and for encouraging me to continue writing this story, I really appreciate it!

        Soul lazily watched as a sandy blonde, pig-tailed girl made her way up the steps, and sat next to him. She didn't say a word and simply took out a book, proceeding to read it and promptly choosing to ignore him. Sure he hadn't expected any special treatment or anything, but a glance in his direction or even a "Hello" would've been nice, though he supposed he shouldn't take it too personally. In all his years at Death Academy, he'd never heard the green eyed girl utter more than a few words at a time, doing the bare minimum to be counted as participating in class. If he was being completely honest, he had no idea what to expect from this loner who seemed perfectly content living life on her own, not relying on anybody... or possibly just a regular girl that he was reading too much into, making absolutely ridiculous conclusions about a person whom he'd never spoken to. Focusing his attention elsewhere, Soul found his eyes drawn to a rather rambunctious blue haired boy practically jumping up the steps to reach his seat, not really paying too much attention to anything other than the reserved brunette trailing after him. Suddenly the spirited boy Soul called his best friend stopped at the same table the white haired boy was currently sitting at. 

"Hey Soul!" Black☆Star exclaimed, "Looks like we're gonna be table mates!"

"Cool," Soul replied, allowing a smirk to grace his features whilst Black☆Star opted for his signature thousand watt smile.

"Hello Soul," The brunette beside Black☆Star greeted, shooting the red eyed boy a small smile, "I look forward to sitting with you guys this year."

"Me too Tsubaki," Soul greeted in return, unintentionally letting his eyes glance over to the only other member at the table who had elected to stay silent during the whole exchange, her own eyes still buried in her book. 

        Although Tsubaki might've noticed his change of attention, she didn't say anything and simply sat next to the other girl. Black☆Star also took his seat next to Tsubaki and started chatting excitedly to her about any and everything while the brunette simply smiled at him and nodded every so often, showing that she was following along with the conversation. Soul once again found himself with nothing to do, so he allowed his mind to wander as his classmates chattered and found their spots.

        Idly the white haired teen wondered about the girl sat next to him, about what she was like. She obviously wouldn't distract him in class, but maybe she was smart? She was reading a book, he supposed he might be able to get away with cheating off of her in tests, but he didn't know if she'd snitch. Glancing at the sandy blonde from the corner of his eyes, Soul tried to get a read on her, unused to not being able to figure people out. People watching was the teen's specialty and he found it rare when he encountered people like the one next to him. Yeah she was quiet, but there was something else hiding underneath her mask, something burning just below the surface. There was definitely more to her that met the eye. Suddenly Soul found himself being ripped from his thoughts as he heard someone sit next to him, looking over to his left his red eyes met a pair of golden ones. 

"Yo Kidd," Soul greeted, "You're in this class too?"

"Sure am," Kidd replied, "You remember Liz and Patty?"

"How could I forget?" Soul scoffed before turning his attention to the two blonde's beside Kidd, "What're you doing here Liz? You're in a grade above us."

"Psh what does that matter? Can't I walk my little sis to class?" She defended, feigning offence. 

"Fair enough," Soul shrugged before asking, "So who do you have teaching you?"

"Marie, I heard you guys are unlucky enough to have Stein this year." Liz told him with a wicked smirk at his misfortune.

"Ugh don't remind me." He replied as he let his head fall on the desk with a quiet thump.

        Liz's laughs were suddenly cut off as the familiar sound of a chair rolling down the hallway caught everyone's attention. Taking that as her cue to leave, Liz quickly bid them all good bye as she rushed out the door just before the infamous Professor Stein rolled in, his chair catching on the bump in the doorway, causing him to fall over. There he was, on the ground, book in hand, wondering how that couldn't have possibly worked. Soul sighed quietly at how lame his new teacher was, lifting his head off the desk, and straightening up.

"One second," The teacher told them as he went outside to try again, and once more falling to the ground. 

        Seemingly giving up for now, the grey haired man got up, making his way to the desk at the front of the room. He set his chair next to it and leaned on it's wooden surface, his face blank as his eyes scanned the room. When his steely eyes met Soul's, the teen felt a shiver run up his spine. Soon enough his eyes were off the teen as he continued looking around the room before picking up the clipboard on the desk, and checking off what Soul could only assume was the attendance. As Professor Stein introduced himself to the class, he also handed out syllabuses to each desk before making his way back to the front of the room. As Stein went over the syllabus with the class, Soul found his thoughts once more drifting to the silent girl seated next to him. He didn't know what is was about her that kept his attention, and to be honest, he found it a little annoying. Sighing quietly to himself, Soul couldn't help but think that this would be a long year.

* * *

        Despite it being the first day of school, Stein still assigned homework, and was very quickly becoming Soul's least favorite teacher. All the rumors about the eccentric teacher had been true, especially the one's about his love for dissecting. Soul had a feeling he wouldn't be learning anything really worthwhile, so it looked like he would have to do some studying on his own if he wanted to pass any of the standardized tests. Then again it was only the first day and Soul didn't know what the man's plan was. Though, by the looks of the syllabus, it would primarily focus on dissecting animals. Suddenly an arm was thrown over his shoulder and pulling him down to eye level with none other than his best friend and partner in crime, Black☆Star.

"Hey Soul!" Black☆Star greeted, "Want to join us at the skate park?"

"Well I was gonna go to the library..." The red eyed teen drawled playfully, "But I guess going skating for a bit couldn't hurt."

"You're damn right it couldn't! Hurry up! Let's go!" 

        Soul let Black☆Star tug on his arm while the blue haired teen bounced excitedly in front of him, chatting animatedly about what he'd done during the summer. Behind them was Tsubaki and an out of place looking sandy blonde haired girl who's name Soul still didn't know. In his peripheral vision he could see them talking, but couldn't hear what they were saying. She looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation despite being able to hold a conversation with Tsubaki. Both the girls were normally so quiet, Soul didn't know how they could possibly talk about much without the conversation dying. Although they might just be quiet because they never get a chance to speak, looking forward once more at the exuberant teen in front of him, Soul decided that the latter option might be more true. Though neither seemed to have a problem with not talking. 

"What did you do during the break?" Black☆Star questioned, tilting his head back at Soul.

"Eh," He shrugged, "Y'know, the usual."

"That bad, huh?" The blue haired boy's voice, unusually quiet and full of understanding.

Soul chuckled sardonically, "Always is."

        Taking the hint, Black☆Star quickly changed the topic of conversation before challenging Soul to a race. Naturally Soul accepted, and both boys were struggling to get a head of the other. Soul even resorted to dragging Black☆Star back behind him to get ahead, which Black☆Star of course then retaliated by tripping him. Was it one of their proudest moments? No. Did they consider it worth it? Absolutely.

        In the end Black☆Star won and rubbed it in Soul's face so much the teen got fed up with his best friend and challenged him to a skating competition. Poor Tsubaki and the pig-tailed girl next to her (Maka he later learned) were given the honor of being the judges. After the fifth round Kidd joined them, leaving the Thompson sisters to chat on the bench with Tsubaki and Maka. Then sometime during the eleventh or twelfth round Maka left without any of the competitive boys noticing. Before any of them knew it, the sun had set and both Liz and Patty were dragging Kidd of the ramp, saying they needed to go home. Tsubaki saw her opportunity and took it as she also dragged a yelling Black☆Star away who was telling Soul that this wasn't over. You see they had tied, and Soul would hold his best friend to his promise. 

        Deciding to also go home, Soul grabbed his back pack and headed back to the school, needing to grab his bike. Honestly he should've known how long he would be at the skate park and ridden it there instead. Of course, hindsight was always 20/20. Once there he hopped on his orange Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide and started the engine, feeling the rumble throughout the motorcycle before putting on his helmet, and driving to his apartment.

* * *

"Welcome back everyone," Professor Stein greeted, "Now before we get started please pass your homework to the front."

        Suddenly the dozing white haired teen shot up in his seat, eyes wide and alert as he remembered about the homework from the day before. Of course as soon as he got home he passed out on the couch, not even making it to his room. Something in his peripheral vision caught his eye and he turned to see Black☆Star mocking him as the boy held his completed homework in the air. Soul shot him a glare and slumped in his seat, thinking that Tsubaki had probably reminded Black☆Star about it last night. Not one to be beat, Soul brought out his unfinished homework (taking note of the way Maka seemed to flinch at his sudden movement), started filling in the answers he knew as quickly as possible before passing it forward, and very maturely stuck his tongue out at Black☆Star. 

        Stein collected all the homework from the front row and set it on his desk, then turned back around, telling them to open up their notebooks because they were continuing from where they left off yesterday. As the professor started his lecture, Soul reached for his pen and once more Maka flinched at the unexpected movement. Soul raised his eyebrow at her and she shrugged apologetically before refocusing her attention on their teacher. Looking at the strange sandy haired girl for a moment longer, Soul considered her. Maka. She was by all accounts your average, everyday student, but that didn't seem quite right. That mask didn't quite fit on her properly, there was something about this girl that he couldn't figure out, but he would. She was definitely interesting to say the least, and you could consider Soul's curiosity piqued. Absentmindedly, Soul finally grabbed his pen and started doodling in the corners of his notes.


	2. Chapter 2

        Soul started noticing little things about the girl sitting next to him, like how everyday she brought a new book to school, how her hair was perpetually in those twin-tails, or how when she was thinking really hard about something she would bite on her bottom lip. Was it a little creepy? Yes. Maka was just so incredibly fascinating, he couldn't help it, the girl wasn't like anyone he'd ever met. He could see the barely tamed fire burning in her whenever Black☆Star was getting on her nerves, and how she always scoffed or rolled her eyes whenever Ox had something to say, which was a lot. As it was mentioned before, he's been noticing things about her, and because of that his eyes keep drifting over to her, causing his other friends to notice that, and subsequently make fun of him for what seemed to be a crush on the girl next to him.

"Haha good luck with that one bro," Black☆Star encouraged one day, "She's never really been a fan of men, but I'm rooting for you!"

"It's not like that," Soul objected, an embarrassed flush lighting up his cheeks convinced Black☆Star otherwise.

"Yeah, whatever you say," He replied, a knowing smile on his face.

"Ugh just drop it dude, or I'm gonna kick your ass in this game."

"Huh? Oh fuck! You shit-cock!"

Soul instantly burst out laughing and struggled to form a retort, "Shit-cock?! That's not even a word!"

"It is now! And I'm gonna beat your ass into dust you shit-cock!"

        Black☆Star had been Soul's best friend for nearly three years now, meeting back in freshman year when the blue haired teen made a scene during the freshmen assembly, claiming to be a God and that everyone was lucky to be in his presence. Honestly Soul was annoyed of the kid and didn't have the best first impression, but the kids who knew Black☆Star from middle school laughed along with him. Later Soul found out they had the same classes and was prepared to up and leave for the office to change his schedule, and now he's glad he didn't. Soul quickly found out that while the kid did have a questionable god complex, he didn't mean any harm. The only harm that was done was to Soul's grades, after all the biggest distraction on Earth was his table mate. Believe it or not, Black☆Star had a bad case of ADHD and could not be tamed unless he had caffeine or Tsubaki was around. That girl was a saint and Soul was inclined to believe Black☆Star had a crush on her. 

        Despite the blue haired teen's weird behavior, Soul wouldn't trade him for the world, he has a soft spot for the kid. From then on their trio grew, incorporating the Mayor's son and his friend's into their group. Kidd, Liz, and Patty got along with them nicely once the whole misunderstanding between them and Black☆Star was cleared up. Soul was sure the only person who hadn't started off on bad terms with the teen was Tsubaki herself. Patty, like Black☆Star, also had ADHD and Soul wasn't positive that the shared trait helped or worsened their condition. For better or for worse, they were a force to be reckoned with. Soul felt bad for Liz sometimes, especially when she seemed like the only normal one compared to her sister and Kidd. Not too bad though, because she seemed to enjoy their antics. Originally Soul also felt bad for Tsubaki, but she has Black☆Star wrapped around her fingers. If she really wanted him to stop doing something or go away, she would tell him, and he would listen.

"Ahem," Professor Stein cleared his throat, snapping Soul out of his thoughts, "Am I boring you Mr. Evans?"

"Uh..." Soul, startled at getting caught, so very eloquently put, "No, no sir, you're not."

"Really? Then can you tell me what I just said?"

"You asked if you were boring me?" Scattered laughter from the class followed this.

"No, Mr. Evans, you know that was not what I meant."

Seeing that Professor Stein was not in a joking mood, Soul chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head while struggling to come up with the words to say, "You were saying... that... um... that-"

Apparently fed up with waiting for Soul's answer, the teacher cut him off, "I was saying Mr. Evans, that you all will be working on a group project due in two months about whichever endangered species you so choose. No group is allowed to choose the same endangered species as another group, please be creative with your decision and you must decide today. I have placed all of your names in a hat so that your partner will be chosen at random, one by one you must come up and draw a name, and no, you cannot switch partners just because you don't like that person."

        There were several mutters of disagreement among the students of the class, but everyone got up and formed a line anyway. Miraculously the choosing process went by relatively fast as people picked their partners and sat by them. Poor Tsubaki got stuck with Black☆Star, surprise surprise. Kidd also got the luck of the draw and got placed with Patty, despite everything Soul thought is was a miracle that Patty and Black☆Star didn't get paired together, though Kidd and Tsubaki might get stuck doing most if not all of the work.

        Before he knew it, Soul was next to draw a name, and there were not many left. Ox, Havar, and Maka all had yet to be chosen, and he didn't quite know how he felt about his odds. Ox was smart and insufferable, Havar was cool but they wouldn't get anything done, and he barely knew Maka. Apprehensively Soul placed his hand in the hat and took a little bit longer than necessary picking a piece of paper out. Deciding that he put it off long enough he finally grabbed hold of a paper and pulled it out, and promptly decided that the universe was playing a trick on him.

"Maka Albarn." He announced. 

"Alright then looks like Ox Ford and Havar Éclair are partners." Professor Stein told them, "Take a moment to discuss with your partners if you haven't already about which species you will be researching."

"Ooh! Ooh! Professor! We're gonna do the Amur Leopard!" Black☆Star called out, his hand waving wildly in the air so as to help get the teacher's attention.

"Anyone else already decided?" Professor Stein inquired.

"We would like to do our project on the Piping Plover, sir." Kidd told him before sitting back down.

        Soul rolled his eyes at the fact that of course his friends already had their animals picked out, though he had a feeling who picked the animals out. Sighing, Soul made his way back up the steps to his seat, how convenient that most of the groups were already sat near each other. As he scooted in past Patty and Kidd, Soul noticed how uneasy Maka looked. He knew she wasn't much a people person, but he hoped this wouldn't put her out of her comfort zone too much. Now usually Soul was never one to be awkward around other people, but she sure wasn't helping what with her clearly not wanting to work with him and all. He was sure she'd probably be better off working with Tsubaki, Black☆Star did say she wasn't a fan of guys, and he'd seen how close the two girls seemed to be. 

"So, what species do you think we should do our project on?" Soul questioned, causing Maka to look taken aback.

"I was thinking of doing the Pangolin, if you wanted to that is," She told him, wringing her hands together under the desk.

"Is that that scaly thing?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, sure, sounds cool to me."

"Okay."

"Yo teach!" Soul called out, gaining a rather cross look from said 'teach', "We're gonna do the Pangolin."

"Good choice, never call me that again." Professor Stein told them, and went back to going over the other group's ideas.

"So where do you want to do the project at?" Soul asked Maka, "We could get our research from the library, but then work on the actual project at either your house or mine?"

"Your house is is good!" Maka said hurriedly, without a second thought, and shrank a bit under the confused look Soul was giving her, "My house is just really... messy, yeah, and my dad doesn't like having people over."

"Okay... so when did you want to get started on the project?"

"How about tomorrow, I'm busy tonight."

"Sure, sounds good, and if you want we can do some research during lunch?"

"Uh... yeah, sure, we could do that."

"Cool."

        Seeing as that was the end of the conversation, Maka brought out one of her ever present books and started reading. Soul, not one to be easily discouraged, was happy with the minuscule progress he made with having a full conversation with her. Usually he couldn't even get a "Hi" back in the mornings before class started, didn't mean he stopped greeting her though. She was a tough egg to crack that was for sure. Letting his mind wander once more, Soul pulled out his notebook and started writing down music notes he thought might sound nice together. It didn't occur to him until later that maybe her flinching at too fast movements and not wanting to work on the project at her own house might have something to do with each other.

* * *

        Lunch came faster than either of them expected, and they made their way silently to the library, though it wasn't as awkward as it could've been believe it or not. They soon found and empty table near a window and claimed it, then Maka went off to find some books while Soul waited. He only slightly wished he was more help, but honestly? Libraries were just so uncool! You had to be quiet all the time, and your music couldn't be too loud otherwise the librarians would give you the dirtiest look ever, and there was nothing to do but read boring books for boring school and it was all just so lame! To be fair, Soul made it a point to be in libraries as little as he possibly could. The only thing he could get away with that would be remotely fun is on the computers and playing those stupid math games websites. Soon enough Maka came back to their table with a stack of books significantly taller than herself and Soul had to suddenly jump out of his seat to stop them from toppling over.

"Holy Hell Maka, how many books do we need?" Soul asked incredulously.

"You never know which facts we'll actually put in our presentation, besides we also need to write an essay on this." She informed him, rolling her eyes at him.

"Wait. Essay?"

"Yeah, weren't you paying attention?"

        At this Soul chuckled nervously and looked away as she gave him a blank stare. Apparently deciding to save him from his misery, Maka filled him in on what he missed. As they worked Maka read the facts to him and he wrote them down, they had a great system going and she even laughed at some of his jokes! He was considering today a big win in his book! Sadly the lunch bell ruined their beautiful routine and they had to pack up their stuff to go back to class. He waited with her though as she checked out some books and even had to check out some books himself when Maka reached her limit, he didn't even know there was a limit to checking out books until now! This girl was seriously something.

"So why Pangolin's?" Soul inquired as they were walking back to class.

"I just think they're neat." Maka told him, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Yeah," Soul agreed, "I think you're right."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at this, "Of course I am."

        Yep, this girl was definitely something, and he couldn't wait to get to know her more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Study dates and budding crushes <3

        Way up on the fifth floor of a rather odd apartment building, inside the 6th apartment, lived a white haired teen who was normally found lounging around and playing video games. Not today though, he was unfortunately too busy working himself up to even think about getting the high score on Mario Kart. Now this young man's name was none other than Soul Evans, who had his project partner coming over today after school. He was naturally a clean person and he didn't think Maka was one to mention a few bowls in the sink, but still! He just wanted it to look nice for her was all. 

        Soul wasn't used to having people over, mostly because when he hung out with his friends it's usually at their houses or a park or someplace else. Typically you didn't have to work on school projects at other people's places and he supposed they didn't have to either, but he wanted them to. Soul was too busy tidying to think about just why he didn't mind Maka coming over, instead as his eyes glanced over his posters scattered about the walls he wondered if she liked music. Quickly checking the time, the teen realized he was late and hurried out the door before bursting back into his apartment to get his bag, once more exiting his place. 

        Luckily he didn't have to walk to school otherwise there would've been no hope of making it even remotely on time. Before this year he hadn't really cared about being to any of his classes on time and had come in with more than a few tardy passes on more than a few occasions. In fact some teachers would be so fed up with his behavior they would send him to the principle, and he would just skip for the rest of the class. School had never been his top priority despite having good grades and he didn't know what changed. Shrugging that thought away, Soul hopped on his bike and rode off to Death Academy. Miraculously there was no traffic for once and as he parked his bike Soul couldn't help but wonder why he was so anxious to get to class on time. He once more ignored the thought as he entered the classroom and took his seat just seconds before the late bell rang.

"Consider yourself lucky Soul," Professor Stein told the teen, "Perhaps it would do you some good to leave earlier next time."

"Yes, sir." 

        Soul resisted the urge to roll his eyes upon finding out that Stein would be having them dissect another animal for the umpteenth time since the school year began and made a grossed out face to Maka upon discovering the would be getting the pleasure of cutting open a pig. She giggled quietly at him and he felt a smile of his own form on his face in response, hoping he would get the honor of hearing her laugh more often. Suddenly dissecting a pig didn't seem so bad. It was as he was holding the pig for Maka to get a good cut in that he noticed how comfortable she seemed to be around him now, even going so far as to actually reply when Soul talked to her. To be fair it wasn't only him that she was becoming more comfortable around, but he was determined to keep making progress.

        The school day passed rather uneventfully after that, Black☆Star caused a scene in the cafeteria raging about how he would be the one to get the best grade on his project which caused Maka to speak up unexpectedly and said there was no way that would happen cause her and Soul's project would get the highest grade. Soul chocked on his soda at this and gave her an incredulous look whilst she shrugged in response. Not only did Black☆Star not agree with her statement, but neither did Kidd and Patty who rose to the challenge readily. 

"You surprised me in the cafeteria today," Soul told her with a hint of amusement in his voice as they walked to his bike, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"When you told B off."

"Well he deserved it, he needs to know there's no way he could get a better grade than me."

"Oh I'm sure he knows now."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" An affronted look was thrown his way and he laughed while putting his hands up in mock defense.

"Nothing."

         Suddenly Maka stopped walking and Soul turned his head around to see what the problem was. Upon seeing her surprised look he followed her gaze to his Harley.

"Is that what we're taking to get to your place?" She asked apprehensively, looking it up and down with a nervous look on her face.

"Course," He replied with a smirk on his face, "That is unless you're too chicken."

Her face screwed up with determination, "I am  _not_  too chicken."

"It's okay if you are, it'll be our little secret."

        She scoffed at the notion, shoved past him as she sat herself on his bike, arms folded, and a scowl ever present on her face. Honestly Soul didn't think that would work but thought it was hilarious that it did as his smirk turned into a smile. 

"Well are you coming or not?" She asked him in an annoyed tone.

        Shaking his head in amusement and rolling his eyes at her surprisingly childish nature, he placed his helmet on her head before taking a seat in front of her on the bike. As soon as he got situated comfortably in front of her he felt Maka place her hands on his shoulder's lightly.

"You're probably going to have to hold on tighter than that," He chuckled, "And you need to lean into the turns when I do, motorcycles are very balance based."

"Okay."

        He felt her grip on his shoulder's become tighter as he started his bike and headed for his apartment. Since Maka was currently using his only helmet, Soul could actually feel the wind flowing through his hair for once and it made him nostalgic. It made him feel free as he sped up and weaved in between traffic, a smile taking over his face. Unfortunately they made it to his building quickly and Soul couldn't tell if his face was red due to the cool air or because Maka had leaned closer into him during the ride.

"So, what'd you think?" He asked upon parking.

"It wasn't that bad," She looked away while handing him back his helmet.

"Not that bad?"

"Yeah..."

"You didn't enjoy yourself even a little bit?" He'd been slowly inching closer to her so as to see her face since she kept it turned away from him.

"...Perhaps."

"Hmm, I'll take 'perhaps' over 'not bad'."

Finally she looked him in the eye as she shot him an incredulous look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

        With a knowing smile, Soul turned away from her and started walking into his building, not bothering to wait for her to catch up. He knew she would so he didn't feel that bad about it, he was more happy that she seemed to enjoy the ride. Though he didn't dwell on the possibility of why it would make him happy, he simply settled for the fact that it did as they waited for the elevator together.

"You know taking the stairs would be faster and better for you." Maka told him.

"Hah, thanks but no thanks. 'M not walking up five flights of stairs anytime soon when we already have to walk up so many just to get into out school building."

"Fair enough."

        Despite the silence during the wait for the elevator, riding the elevator, and walking to his place it wasn't awkward. It was actually really nice and it wasn't often he enjoyed just being in someone else's presence without feeling the need to fill the silence. Despite the odd thoughts running in his head he manages to unlock his door and steps aside to let her enter first. He closes it behind them and waits nervously for her verdict as she sizes up the place. Not wanting to stand awkwardly by the door the whole time, he takes a seat on the couch and sets his stuff down on the table, the Pangolin books from yesterday already out on the table.

"Your place is very nice," She tells him as she sits down on the couch next to him and pulling out her notes and various books.

He feels a swell of pride bloom in his chest and sits up a bit straighter. "Thanks."

"Sure thing, now let's get started on our project, I've written down a few things already."

"A few things? Maka, your notebook is almost full and we still have all of these books to go through."

"Yes a few things, which is why we should go over our collective notes so as to decide what will be going in the presentation and what will be going in the essay." An annoyed glare was thrown at him and he decided to back off.

"Alright, but I don't think my notes are gonna be as detailed as yours."

"It's okay, there's bound to be some overlap and the only one who's notes are as... inclusive as mine would probably be Ox Ford's."

"Oh so you're admitting you go overboard with your notes?"

"There's no harm in going overboard!"

"Course not." He chuckled at her and she huffed as her cheeks lit up in embarrassment.

        Maka quickly made sure to change the subject back over to what they were supposed to be doing before Soul distracted her, and they made quick work of separating facts. A lot of the more comprehensive stuff would be going into the essay whilst the easy to keep up with and more 'interesting' facts would go into the slide. Somehow they actually managed to get a lot done despite Soul constantly getting off track and changing subjects, and they decided to start working on the power point before they actually noticed how dark it was.

"How'd it get so late so quick?" Soul asked incredulously as he was looking out the window. When Maka didn't reply he looked back over to her to see her looking at her phone, worrying her lip with her teeth, a movement Soul found hard to pull his attention from.

"Huh? What was that?" She said once she finally looked back up at him, her anxiety showing in her eyes.

"I was just saying that it got late pretty quick."

"Yeah, my dad messaged me and says I need to go home."

"Do you need a lift?"

"No, no, it's okay." She denied quickly whilst packing up her stuff.

"It's really no problem, besides it's way too dark and late for you to be walking home by yourself."

"Well..." She seemed at war with herself as she put a pause on gathering up her books. 

"Really, I insist, no biggie."

"...Alright, here let me give you some gas money." 

"No need, besides that's what friends do for each other, right?"

"Right."

        She seemed stuck in a trance for a second as she just looked at him with an unreadable expression and Soul wondered if he said something weird. Maka quickly got over it though and was soon done placing her things back in her book bag. Distressed energy practically radiated off the blond girl in waves that Soul decided they should take the stairs instead of waiting forever for the elevator. They made it down to his bike rather quickly and he once more handed the girl his helmet and reminded her to lean when he did. He input her address into his GPS and they were off.

        As they got closer to Maka's house, Soul couldn't help but notice the run down neighborhood she lived in. He soon found his head filled with thoughts about what her home life was like, though you couldn't judge a book by it's cover. Some of the nicest people were poor and the most awful people were those with money. In fact more often than not the worse people are the ones who are rich and Soul had to repress a cringe at the memory of his own parents. 

        Soon enough they were at Maka's place and the white haired teen took into account the dried up lawn, boarded up windows, beer bottles scattered about the lawn, and cigarette butts everywhere. Suddenly Soul found himself taking back the not judging a book by its cover, but had to stop as he reminded himself that this was where Maka lived, and that she was pretty chill. Though she practically leapt off his bike as soon as he stopped it and threw his helmet to him. 

"Thanks for the ride!" She called back at him and waving, "See you tomorrow at school!"

        He waved back in response and as he was putting on his helmet he suddenly felt a murderous vibe and quickly turned around to look for the source, but couldn't see anyone. Shrugging it off as paranoia, Soul buckles his helmet on and takes off back towards his building, all the while wondering about how good Maka's home life actually was. She did flinch a lot after all, though he shouldn't read too much into it lest he be way off. Oh god he would feel so bad for jumping to conclusions without a basis just like that. Unbeknownst to Soul was just how close he really was to finding out the truth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys we're finally on Maka's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there is child abuse in this chapter so you have been warned, you can just skip through it when this symbol ~ comes up if you're uncomfortable with reading about abuse.

        Maka woke up very sore, finding it a little difficult to breathe, and somehow on her living room floor. Sitting up carefully the girl looked around the messy room as memories started flooding her brain. She came home late last night from working with Soul and her father was not happy about it to say the least, though she hadn't expected him to be when he texted her. As the green eyed girl looked over her injuries she should've realized earlier that he wouldn't be so forgiving for her slip up.

~

"Well looks who's finally home." Her father drawled upon Maka shutting the front door behind her.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I lost track  of time." Her stance was tense and she refused to move away from her only escape route.

"With that boy?" Her father was sitting in his lounge chair and had finally let his cold gaze rest upon her at his accusation.

"He's my lab partner."

The man let out a humorless laugh. "As if! I wasn't born yesterday Maka."

"It's true Papa, we were working on our project about endangered species."

"And you just so happen to be out with him all night?"

"Nothing happened, we worked on the project and lost track of time, that's all."

Something in his face changed, but it was gone too quickly for her to place. "Oh you know your Papa just worries about you, boys can be dangerous you know."

"Yes Papa."

"Come here," He told her with a suspiciously sweet voice, "I know how easy it is for you to get lost in your books."

        Sparing a glance backwards at the door, Maka let out a sigh before once more looking at her father. He was still drunk, but seemed more collected than earlier. It was only natural for a parent to be worried about their child, especially when they haven't texted saying where they are. Though her father was surprisingly deceptive for a man who couldn't keep his emotions off his face. Hesitantly, the sandy blond set her bag down, and did as her father asked. She knew running was futile when she had no where to run too, besides he was not a patient man and she didn't want to make the situation any worse than it was. 

        As she stood in front of the tall man, Maka felt fear begin to coil in her stomach as she looked into his dead eyes. His hand touched her face gently and it took everything in her to not slap it away. She didn't want his hands on her! Her whole body was tense while her limbs simultaneously felt like jelly; it was an odd sensation but the man in front of her, her father, was being incredibly terrifying to her right now and he hadn't actually done anything yet! If you had told her as a child that she would soon grow to be afraid of her dorky father, she would've never believed you. Unfortunately ever since her mother left it's never been the same, and Maka was left to deal with the aftermath.

"You're very pretty Maka," He monotonously told her while the next words out of his mouth nearly made her legs give out under her in pure fear, "Just like your mother."

        His eyes suddenly went dark and Maka felt a scream get caught in her throat as she felt frozen in place, watching as he removed his hand from her face before coming back at full force in the form of a punch. Having been knocked off her feet, she has to tilt her head up to look at the man she called 'father', cradling her cheek with her hand.

"Papa, please!"

He looked down on her, no remorse to be found in his eyes. "You've been rather disobedient lately and it's about time you learnt your lesson."

        As he mercilessly threw hit after hit at her, Maka couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't just ran out the door before. Punches and kicks mixed together and she found it kind of hard to differentiate between them after a while. Blow after blow after blow after blow and Maka was feeling very tempted to let the black spots in her vision take over, not knowing how much more of this she could take. He then grabbed one of her, now loose, pigtails and forced her to look up at him as he brought out his knife and chopped it off. Her hair. The only thing it felt like she had control of any more, was gone. He quickly did the same with the other side of her head and it felt more like he was yanking her her out as opposed to just cutting it with the amount of force he was using.

"You like running around with boys so much, why don't you look like one?" He snarls, kicking her once more in the stomach before retiring to his room.

        Maka laid there, one hand on her stomach and the other tracing the locks of blond hair on the floor, finding it even harder to breathe as tears leaked out of her eyes. Crying over hair was a little dumb, but her mother had always liked it long. Not only that, but putting her hair up everyday in those silly twin tails made her feel more like a girl. Reluctantly Maka forced herself to come to the conclusion that the man she once knew and loved is no longer here and she is stuck with the angry shell of a broken man. Not for the first time in her life did Maka find herself wondering why her mother couldn't have taken her too when she left, instead of abandoning her only child. What did she do wrong? Why didn't her mother love her enough to take her with her? And why didn't her father love her enough to know he was slowly killing his only daughter?

~

        Sighing at the memories, Maka stands up slowly, careful not to disturb her injuries. Glancing at the oven clock, the girl realizes she has plenty of time to treat her wounds and ice her bruises before she has to leave for school. A shower would probably feel nice too she reasons, which she does quickly and gets dressed before going to put on makeup to cover the bruise on her face. She is deterred however when she catches sight of her reflection, unused to having short hair. It's such a messy look so she decides to even it out a bit on the sides. Dejectedly the girl reasons with herself it was time for a haircut anyway. She soon continues with her regular routine and takes a handful a painkillers to hopefully help her get through the day, for some reason she was having trouble breathing still and she didn't want to think too hard about what damage her father inflicted upon her internally.

        Checking the clock one more time she realizes she's wasted enough time and heads off to school, careful not to disturb her father from his slumber. The walk to school, while long, is nice and Maka finds herself reflecting on how much has changed within the span of a month alone. It started with the fact that she sat next to probably the most talkative people on the planet aside from Tsubaki and Soul at times, then with Tsubaki always inviting her to hang out with them and, really, how could Maka turn the girl down? She couldn't that's how. Tsubaki even went as far in the beginning to drag her to eat lunch with the rambunctious bunch. Earlier Maka had no idea how the black haired girl and  Black☆Star were even able to get along before the blond realized they both had a mysterious knack for getting people to follow along in their plans (or schemes rather). 

        Shaking her head, Maka smiled at the memory of how awkward the first few lunches were and now she couldn't even imagine a time where it could possibly be awkward. Black☆Star and Patty helped in that regard, the most chatty out of all of them and always able to strike up a conversation about anything without it seeming forced. They seemed to feed off of each others excitable nature and energetic personalities. Maka even found that Liz was surprisingly good company, though she had been slightly intimidated by the older girl. Liz had a tendency to act tough, but when it came to anything supernatural the girl was downright terrified. It was kind of hilarious when Maka thought back on when Patty was mercilessly telling horror stories to Liz the night the boys all decided to have that ridiculous skating competition. 

        Aside from Tsubaki, Kidd was actually the one person she felt most comfortable around. Sure he had OCD that got out of hand sometimes, but that didn't really matter to her. He was very smart and made for a great study partner. The first time she had really interacted with him was when they both needed to check out the same book and he insisted that he needed it more, needless to say Maka is not one to give up without a fight, though he clearly had good taste in books. She would often times find herself recommending books to him and asking for recommendations in turn. 

        Getting lost in her thoughts about her surprising newfound friends must've made the walk seem much shorter than it was considering Maka found herself at the bottom of the seemingly endless steps of Death Academy. The trek up wasn't as daunting as it had been her freshman year, but it was still a lot of steps so the teen braced herself for the journey, taking a gulp of water before continuing on her way. It was as she was halfway up the stairs that she heard someone call her name and she turned around to come face to face with none other than Black☆Star and Tsubaki.

"Hey," She greets, waiting for them to catch up before continuing to climb the steps with them by her side, "How are you?"

"I'm good, I love your haircut by the way." Tsubaki tells her, a genuine smile on her face.

Maka's eyes widen in shock as she runs her hand through her hair self consciously. "Thanks."

"Yeah it's pretty awesome Maka, you needed a change from the pig tails!" Black☆Star complements loudly as Maka is surprised for the second time in one day.

"You're one to talk," She retorts, "You've had the same crazy hairstyle for about as long as I've had mine."

"Well that's because as a God my hair has been perfect from the beginning!"

        The green eyed girl rolls her eyes at him while Tsubaki hides a smile behind her hand, and the two girls share a look before breaking out into laughter.

"Hey!" Black☆Star's indigent, "Don't laugh at me!"

"We would never dream of it Black☆Star," Tsubaki reassures since she was able to control her laughter before Maka.

        He 'humphs' but decides to believe Tsubaki anyway as they walk together into the classroom and take their seats. It's not long after Maka get's her supplies out on her desk that Soul, Kidd, Liz, and Patty enter the classroom. Even though Liz isn't technically in their class, she always hangs out with them before the bell rings. At first Maka used to wonder if the girl had any friends her own age but found with time that the girl just liked walking her sister and Kidd to class. Liz and Patty were incredibly close despite their differences and it was clear that the older girl held some sort of admiration for Kidd. 

"Maka! Your hair!" Patty exclaimed one she got to their table.

"Yeah," She laughed awkwardly, "I felt like it was time for a change, long hair get's annoying to take care of after a while."

"Oh don't I know it." Liz sighed exasperatedly.

"You look like a boy now." Patty told her and it took Maka a second to bite back her anger at the statement, after all Patty didn't mean any harm.

"Patty that's not nice." Kidd reprimanded. "Your hair suits you Maka."

"It's alright and thanks Kidd. Well, am I a cute boy at least?" Maka joked, putting a finger under her chin and wagging her eyebrows at the younger Thompson sister.

"Oh absolutely, I'd bang ya." Liz cut in before Patty could say anything, winking as Maka rolled her eyes.

"Thanks." 

"Anytime."

        With that they first bell rang, cutting off their conversation, and Liz bid them goodbye. Maka shook her head in humor at the antics of the Thompson sisters, opening her notebook to a new page for notes. Out of the corner of her eye he found Soul looking at her and she raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"Your hair really does look good," He tells her quietly before looking back towards their teacher.

For whatever reason her face lights up with a flush and she rubs the back of her head. "Thanks."

        Throughout class Maka tries hard to focus on what Stein is saying, really she does! However she just can't seem to concentrate with the white haired boy sitting next to her. Soul was an odd one. He was more socially awkward than she was when it came to people outside their friend group, was a complete music snob, and slouched like he wanted to win a prized for being the most hunchback-esque. In previous years she noticed he never seemed to care about anything school related, hence the reason she was so apprehensive to work on this project with him, but this year seemed different. Hell he was here before the first bell even rang today! Idly she wondered what changed, especially since from what she knew of him he only cared about 'being cool'. Somehow her gaze kept wandering over to him as she studied him, Soul what not the person she thought he was. When she worked on the project with him he showed her sides of him she didn't even know existed, and she was looking forward to seeing more of them.

        It was at that moment that her eyes widened and she forced her gaze forward, stunned at the strange turn her thoughts had taken, and feeling her face heat up. Never in her life had she ever wanted to get to know a guy more, not even when she and Black☆Star were friends in elementary school. After all, all men are the same. Her father constantly taught her that with his endless line of women he brought over. Black☆Star taught her that when he ended their friendship in middle school for the more popular crowd. They might not all be abusive fucks but they were all pigs, and Soul would prove to be the same in time.

        Suddenly the pain in her side became unbearable, and it was even harder to breathe. Perhaps sitting down for so long was pressing on her bruise too hard? It looked really nasty this morning when she saw it as she got dressed. Gritting her teeth, the girl stands up while also raising her hand. She tried taking a deep breath and blinking the black spots out of her vision but it didn't seem to be working, and she knew she had to get out of here. Fast.

"Yes Maka?" Professor Stein called on her, a curious look in his gaze.

"I'm not feeling very well, could I pl-" She started before cutting herself off, feeling faint. She tried speaking once more before the world got wobbly on her and she fell to the ground; passed out and hearing someone call her name from very far away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hospital shenanigans

        Maka awoke feeling a weight on her chest and hearing a strange beeping she couldn't place. Groaning slightly the girl opens her green eyes and stares up at the unfamiliar ceiling. It only takes her a second though before she finally realizes she's in a hospital, her memories suddenly deciding to grace her with the recollection of attempting to ask Stein to go to the nurse before passing out. With a sigh Maka looks around her room and tenses up upon seeing her father asleep in a chair next to her, holding her hand in his. She then hears the beeping speed up and looks over to her right to see a heart monitor before attempting to calm herself down. He wasn't even awake right now and wouldn't think about doing anything to her in public so there was no need to get the nurses running in here for nothing. 

        The beeping eventually slowed down with her evening heart rate, but Maka didn't let her guard down for a second. Surely the man was upset with her for causing a scene, a conversation she wasn't looking forward to having with him once he woke up. Being in a hospital made Maka a little nostalgic, she hadn't been in one since she broke her arm sledding. Her dad was so worried back then, practically crying for her as she comforted him. Her mother had met them at the hospital after work, glad to see Maka safe but reprimanded her dad for being so reckless. It caused a small smile to grow on her face as the memory, oh how simple of a time it was back then. The smile didn't last long on her face though as she was brought back to the present thanks to her father's snoring. One look at the sleeping man and you would be none the wiser at how different he was, not fathoming the possibility of him being a completely different man. Maka knew better though, if her scars and bruises were anything to go by. 

        It was at that moment that Maka realized she was in a hospital gown and it only took one look to see her arms weren't covered. With a curse under her breath, she looked her arms over. It was especially hard to miss the bruises littering her arms as well as the scars left on the inside of her arms from a darker time she'd rather not be reminded of. It was a low point for her, one she struggled with everyday no to go back to. Looking at her arms made it hard considering they were reminding her of how she felt each time she failed to resist the urge. The girl was so lost in thoughts she didn't hear someone enter her room until they spoke up.

"Oh you're up!" The nurse exclaimed, "How are you feeling?"

"It's hard to breathe, but other than that I'm alright."

"That's good and the difficulty breathing is to be expected. You broke your bottom four ribs on your left side."

"Oh... how long are they going to take to heal?"

"They'll heal just fine on their own in about two months as long as you avoid any strenuous activities and make sure to ice it."

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Not at the moment, just make sure to come in every two weeks so we can track your healing progress, and come in if any of your symptoms get worse."

"So I'm good to go?"

"Unfortunately no, we have a couple questions we'd like you to answer when you're up for it."

It was at that moment that her father seemed to join the land of the living as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before practically tackling Maka in a hug, causing her to tense up in response and him to let go. "Oh Maka! I'm sorry! Did I hug you to hard? Papa is so happy you're awake!"

"It's alright Papa, just tender is all." She reassured, a forced smile on her face.

"I'll give you two a moment," The nurse told them as her pager went off, "I have another patient to attend to if you don't mind."

"No, no, go right on ahead." Her father said with a pleasant smile on his face that fell the second the nurse left the room. 

"How could you cause such a scene?" He berates, "You know better than that."

"I tried asking to go to the nurse's office," She defended, "I didn't notice in time."

"Well you should've. What's the use in studying so much if you don't actually use your brain? Do you want to be taken away?"

Horror stories of foster homes fill her brain as she instantly shakes her head. "No, of course not Papa!"

"Well then when the nurse asks you what happened you tell her you fell down the stairs, okay?"

"Okay Papa."

"Good." He sighs as he folds his arms and leans back in his chair.

"I really am sorry." She earnestly tells him.

         As many times as she wished she had a different life she didn't want to live with different people. At least her father was predictable, she would go to live with people she didn't know who could be worse than her father. She could stick it out for another three years with him, he only got violent occasionally. The last time her hit her was a couple months ago and before that it was even longer, but this was the first time he'd actually hurt her bad enough to get her in the hospital and she knew the likeliness of it happening again was slim. Despite his anger clouding his judgement sometimes, he was a smart man and knew better than to land his daughter in the hospital more than once in a year. 

* * *

        The nurse came back to Maka's room after a while and the teen made sure to tell her about falling down the stairs, claiming to be  _so_  clumsy with an awkward laugh. The nurse seemed suspicious upon hearing Maka's answer, but didn't press the issue. Her father must've been pleased with Maka's acting skills since he didn't stay too long after that, said he had some important business to attend to. 

"Bye Maka, I love you." He tells her.

"Bye Papa, love you too." 

        With that he's gone and Maka finds it significantly easier to breathe despite the state of her ribs. It feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders now that she doesn't have to worry about her father. Unfortunately her peace doesn't last long when the door to her room is opened once more and she finds herself tensing up with anticipation.

"Hello again Maka." The nurse greets, a warm smile on her face helping Maka to relax once more.

"Hi, did you forget something?" She questions, tilting her head with the inquiry.

"I did actually, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a few more of my questions?"

"Um, no, that's fine. Ask away."

"Well first I just wanted to double check with you on a few things about your fall, I felt you might have forgotten some things earlier."

With a strained smile on her face, Maka asked the nurse what she could possibly mean.

"I don't mean to doubt you Maka, but people sometimes forget all of the details when other people are in the room. I couldn't help but notice how... distracting your father could be."

"I appreciate your concern ma'am, but I really did fall down the stairs."

"I really want to believe you, I do, but the bruising on your body isn't caused by falling down some stairs. And if you did fall down some stairs like you said, the most you would've broken is two ribs, dear."

"What're you trying to insinuate?"

A sigh came from the woman before she continued with her questioning. "How's your home life Maka?"

"What? Why would you ask something like that?"

"You forget that I am your nurse, I've seen you charts and changed you into that gown for that matter."

Maka felt an urge to cover her body with her arms, but knew it would be pointless. "And what exactly did you see on those charts of mine?"

"Well they showed signs of you having had multiple sprained ankles that healed a little improperly especially since the only thing you've ever come in for is a broken arm eight years ago."

"I'm clumsy and it didn't seem worth it to come to the hospital for something as small as a sprain."

"Did you know with each sprain it can lead to an early arthritis in your ankle?"

"No... I didn't."

"Maka I'm not saying these things to make you feel bad, I have a daughter your age and I couldn't imagine if anything happened to her. It's a little hard seeing girls your age or younger come in with similar wounds all showing the same signs."

"What kind of signs?" Maka wasn't sure she wanted the answer, but found herself asking it anyway.

"Signs of abuse, from their parents or significant others. It's never easy to open up to someone else, but I can't stand seeing them go back to those homes if I can help it."

"How dare you! You're just making assumptions and refusing to believe me when I say I'm just really clumsy! You're being incredibly inappropriate right now and overstepping your boundaries."

"I'm really not making any assumptions, I know how to recognize the signs dear. Your body was incredibly tense around your father, especially when he hugged you, on your non injured side I might add. Your heart rate decreased significantly once he left and you said next to nothing when he was here, relying on him to do all the talking and not stepping in when I asked for your story about what happened."

"That! I!" Maka didn't know what to say to the woman, she was right about everything.

"I'll stop pestering you with my 'absurd' notions if you can look me straight in the eyes and tell me that you only fell down some stairs and that your home life is okay. Don't act like I didn't notice that you didn't answer me earlier when I asked."

        Maka couldn't do it, she tried honest she did, but as soon as her eyes met the nurses she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Her eyes held such pure concern for the teens well being that Maka couldn't find it in her to lie to the woman again or deflect her questions. Bringing her hands up to cover her face, she cries. The nurse doesn't waste anytime and immediately cradles the girl in her arms, rocking her back and forth. 

"I didn't fall down the stairs." Maka says quietly as soon as she composes herself.

"I know dear."

"He kicked me and kicked me so many times after he already hit me."

"Shh, just let it all out."

"He's been doing it for  _years_ , over every little thing. I tried so hard to be the perfect daughter but it was never enough for him. I tried so hard! It's never enough! Why isn't it enough? Why aren't I enough? Why? Why?"

* * *

        After her breakdown the nurse offered to call the cops on her father and Maka agreed it was for the best. Though she didn't know where she could go now, certainly not home. She didn't have any relatives either unless the cops would be able to track down her ever elusive mother. Would it be too much to hope that the woman would come back after hearing about what happened? Maybe. Would Maka hope for it anyway? Absolutely.

"Hey Maka, are you feeling better?" The nurse asked upon once more entering the teens room.

"Yes."

"Glad to hear, there are some people outside wishing to visit with you if that's okay?"

"Uh, yeah, bring them in." People came to visit her?

"Okie dokie." 

Just as the nurse is leaving to retrieve them, Maka suddenly notices the state of her arms and calls back out to the woman. "Wait!"

"Yes?" She asks, halfway out the door.

"Could you bring me a cardigan? I'm feeling a bit cold."

"Sure thing dear." 

        Although Maka is sure the woman saw through her excuse, she is grateful for the lack of comment on how she could just up the thermostat. The nurse doesn't take long and allows Maka time to cover up before she lets her friends in. Honestly the teen was just still surprised that even one person would visit her, let alone six people! 

"Rest assured Maka!" Black☆Star greets upon bursting into her room, "Your God is here so you can hurry up and get better now!"

"Black☆Star calm down." Tsubaki gently told him, "Hi Maka, how are you feeling?"

"Ya know ya really gotta take better care of yourself Maks!" Patty tells the bedridden teen before she gets a chance to answer Tsubaki, shocked at the sudden nickname.

"Yeah, you really had us worried." Liz chimed in.

"Sorry about that," Maka replied while bringing a hand up to rub the back of her head nervously, "And I'm not gonna lie Tsubaki, I've been better. Did anybody bring the homework with them?"

"Oh my god," Soul groaned, "You're literally in the hospital and you're still thinking about school, bookworm?"

"I brought it for you Maka." Kidd reassured and she shot him a grateful smile as he placed it on the counter.

"Did I miss anything in school?" She questioned.

"Dude you passing out was the only interesting thing that happened all day!" Patty helpfully told her, so the teen turned her attention over to Kidd.

"No, we didn't really go over anything that important so it'll be easy for you to catch up." 

"Well that's good to hear at least."

        They talked for a long time after that about anything and everything. Patty and Black☆Star were of course the leaders in almost every conversation they had, the excitable extroverts they were. Liz showed Maka some of the new music she was listening which of course led Soul into the conversation as he showed Maka some 'better music' as he called it. Tsubaki was even somehow able to coerce Maka into letting the black haired girl paint her nails while Kidd had a hell of a time of reorganizing the hospital room for her so it was symmetrical. 

        At some point though Kidd and the Thompson's had to leave to do something for Kidd's father, then Black☆Star took the opportunity to drag Tsubaki off to get food with him, leaving Maka alone with Soul. They just channel surfed for a while, not sure what to watch or talk about. Finally the silence was getting too much for her to bear so she decided to bring up a topic that had been on her mind for a while now. 

"Tsubaki said you caught me when I fainted." Maka told him nonchalantly even though the statement seemed to be more of a question.

He didn't take his eyes off the TV as he continued switching channels. "I did."

"Thank you." She looked at him with genuine gratitude shining in her eyes that Soul found himself unable to break eye contact when he finally looked over at her.

"It was nothing, I was just following my instincts." 

"But it really was, I could have a concussion right now if it wasn't for you."

"Anybody would've done the same."

"Still... thank you."

"You're welcome."

        She didn't know why it was so hard for him to accept her gratitude, but maybe he was just as insecure as she was? Maka didn't know and couldn't say anything about how he felt, but she did know that they were still looking at each other. As much as she wanted to break eye contact, something in her just couldn't. It wasn't until Black☆Star came bursting back in the room with his arms full of food did she find herself able to look away, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

"Yo losers! Your lives just got better now that your God has returned!" The exuberant teen exclaimed, causing Maka and Soul to roll their eyes.

"I'm back as well." Tsubaki greeted in a much more subdued manner while also holding two trays full of food.

"Geez! What'd you guys do? Empty the whole cafeteria out?" Soul asked incredulously as he took in the absurd amount of food they brought back.

"Course not!" Black☆Star denied before joking, "We left some bread rolls that wouldn't fit on the trays."

        They all laughed hardheartedly at that before digging in to the food in front of them, and while Maka was having an incredibly interesting conversation with Tsubaki, she couldn't help the way her eyes kept drifting over to Soul.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka goes to her house to pack up some things and the squad has a movie night

        To say Soul had a restless night would be an understatement. He'd lived alone for so long he forgot what it was like having another person in his apartment, especially considering the state of his 'guest'. The red eyed teen sighed as he ran a hand through his messy hair. The current situation was increasingly becoming less ideal the more he thought about it, but what could he do. He couldn't just throw Maka out on the streets, especially since she had no where to go! Her father was on the run, but that didn't mean going back to her own house was safe. 

        The boy turned over onto his left side to look at his clock, the numbers 4:35 glaring back at him, and turned back over to his right side. Yesterday Black☆Star and Tsubaki left after they all ate, leaving Maka and Soul by themselves once more. Thankfully there was no longer an awkward air around them, but Soul didn't think that would be the case for today. When he was visiting with the girl, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering back to the state of her house when he dropped her off, how maybe he should've waited a little longer to leave. Though when he looked at Maka on the cot, nothing looked out of the ordinary other than her skin being more pale and her eyes looking very tired. The thought that something more put her in the hospital than something like falling down the stairs wouldn't stop nagging him though, and he almost asked her about it when the nurse came back in, two cops following behind her, which did absolutely nothing to ease his concerns.

        Soul was reluctant to leave and let them interrogate Maka, and it seemed like she was too by the way she gripped his arm. Sending her wide green eyes full of apprehension his way, an unspoken question hanging in the air. Without a second thought he sat himself back down and slid his arm out of Maka's grasp, letting her hold his hand instead. After the cops got all the info they needed out of her, Soul suddenly felt as if he knew a bit more than he should in regards to Maka's life, especially considering how reserved she is with sharing anything about herself. 

 _She's never really been a fan of men._ Black☆Star's words would not stop ringing in his head this morning. Well, yeah, no wonder she wasn't. In fact Soul was wondering how she could even stand to be around anyone anymore, after everything. It made him more than a little angry to think about what she's been put through, no body deserved that kind of pain. 

        Which is why, since Maka betrayed her father, the blonde no longer has a place to live, and no living relatives other than her mother she is now staying with Soul. It's only until the cops can find one or both of her parents though, a fact he wasn't sure made him feel better about her living with him or not. The teen brought the pillow out from under his head and covered his face as he groaned into it, he fucking knew he should've listened to his gut. 

"Don't judge a book by it's cover my ass," He grumbled while removing the pillow.

        With one more sigh of annoyance, Soul decides he might as well get up. He quickly gets dressed and exits his room. A quick glance around the apartment shows Maka is still asleep, so he starts to make breakfast for the two of them. Give the poor girl at least something to look forward to despite the shitty circumstances. After he pulled out everything he needed to make the food edible, he made a mental not to go to the grocery store. Now that two people would be living here they would definitely need more things to eat. Not to mention she probably wouldn't want to use his shampoo and would need pads or tampons. 

        That thought caused Soul to nearly drop the egg in his hand, though to be fair he didn't know what she would need. Not to mention how long she would even be staying! Hell even if she was here for a week or a year neither of them would know and it's always good to be prepared. He let out a breath of air as his thoughts once more got away from him.

        Time seemed to pass relatively quickly as he made breakfast for the two of them, and Maka exited the spare room sometime after he put the bacon and sausages in the pan. Her short hair was sticking up in all ends and she was clearly still drowsy as she rubbed at her eyes, a small frown on her face. She looked so cute he just couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" She glared, though it wasn't as powerful as she probably would've liked.

"Nothing." Soul denied in a sing song voice.

        Maka stuck her tongue out at him and honestly for a moment he thought he died right there and went to heaven. He shook his head in amusement at her antics and resumed cooking. As she went into the bathroom though a frown found it's place on Soul's face once more. How could she still be in a somewhat joking mood after everything? Hell her father was a worse parent than his had ever been, and he turned out to be sarcastic and cynical. Yeah, sure, Maka had her own sarcastic bite, but it wasn't like it was the only defining trait about her. She had a wicked sense of humor and never took anybodies shit. Surprisingly the sandy blonde girl was also an optimist, always looking on the bright side, and hardly ever letting anything get to her. Honestly she was just so spectacular and he didn't know how she did it. 

"You're burning the bacon." Her voice broke him free from the questionable thoughts he was having about her, his temporary roommate.

"Oh," He smartly replied, turning the bacon over, "Sorry."

"It's all good, I like my bacon crispy anyway." She joked, before seating herself at the table, watching his movements.

"Good," He joked back. "Cause I'm not gonna make a fresh batch." 

        They simply stayed like that in a comfortable silence for a while as Soul finished making breakfast, and then cleaning up his mess. It wasn't until they were both sat at the table and eating did Maka dare to break the silence.

"Hey Soul?" She asked, causing him to look up at her.

"Do you think we can go to my fathers house after this?" Her somber voice was a stark contrast from the light tone she was speaking with earlier, "All I have with me is the overnight bag I packed last night and I'll need a bit more than that if I'm to stay here."

"Of course," Soul readily reassured, taking note of the way her shoulders relaxed. "I'll text Kidd and ask if we can borrow his dad's car to transport it, considering we won't be able to move much with my bike."

"Thanks." Her reply was quiet and it signaled the end of the conversation. 

        Soul watched as she continued to pick at her food, a far away look in her eyes. He felt like he was watching a robot with the way she seemed to be going through the motions. It was then that he decided that maybe it wasn't so much that she was an optimist, she just refused to let her negative emotions show. That maybe her life has been a mess for so long that the only way she knows how to cope is by bottling up all her emotions and continue putting on a front for any and everybody. These thoughts formed into concerns for the girl's well being and bubbled up past his lips before he could stop them.

"Did you think about what that nurse said?" His question so abruptly broke the silence it caused Maka to merely blink owlishly at him. "About going to therapy?"

Her eyes had a flash of anger that went by so quick Soul was left wondering if he hallucinated for a second there. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

He couldn't help the scoff the fell past his lips either, "Really?"

"Yes!" Maka exclaimed in an affronted tone while Soul eased his hands in the air to pacify her.

"No offence, but I think you should consider taking her up on her offer."

"No offence," She repeats and the room suddenly seems colder, "But I think I'm doing just fine thank you very much."

        With that the conversation is officially over as she dumps her plate into the sink and retreats back to the guest bedroom, leaving behind a very frustrated and dumbfounded Soul who felt his anger dissipating with every passing moment as he recalled how composed she was despite her hands shaking.

"Well that could've gone better," He grumbled, making his way towards the sink and dumping his plate in there as well. He could worry about cleaning them up later, especially since his mind was more preoccupied with ways not to scare the poor girl now in the room across from him. 

* * *

        Thankfully Kidd's dad had no problem with letting Soul use the car so now here they were, parked in front of Maka's old house. Beer bottles and cigarette butts littering the yard, the dead grass, and boarded up windows all reminded him of that night which seemed so long ago now even though it had just been a few days. His temporary roommate hops out of the car as soon as they stop and Soul trails slowly after her, taking everything about the house in, feeling a little angry at himself. 

        Maka quickly unlocked the door, clearly not wanting to be here any longer than absolutely necessary. Before they left she claimed she didn't really have much, so they just brought some large trash bags with them to pack her stuff in. As they walked through her house he couldn't help but notice the seemingly never ending supply of empty beer cans and a questionable amount of glass loitering on the floor. Soul knew that Maka's father had been taking his anger out on her, but he wondered just how long it was really going on. Just because she told the cops about one incident doesn't mean she told them about everything, and they didn't press considering how much of a wreck she looked yesterday.

        Finally they made it too her room and that's when he realized she wasn't kidding about not having very much. There was a twin sized bed along side one wall and a small dresser sitting opposite of it. There weren't any shelves so her books sat on the floor and her school stuff seemed to be sat on top of her dresser. She told him to pack anything that looked important so he headed over to her bed, letting Maka pack up her own clothes. He grabbed her pillow and stuffed it in the bag before noticing a pocket knife stashed underneath it and bells started going off in his head. 

        Soul quickly threw the knife in the bag and couldn't help but wonder as he packed up the rest of her bedding if maybe she was scared her father would come into her room one night to hurt her and she needed some form of defense? However, he thought as he spared a glance backwards at her, maybe there was another reason for her arms always being covered by long sleeves other than the abuse? No, he didn't want to think about it, and he couldn't possibly ask her about it. She's already been through a lot and doesn't need him accidentally snooping and getting the wrong idea. If she did ever resort to what he was thinking about, then it's none of his concern. Maka already opened up to him so much more yesterday than he would've ever asked of her, he couldn't ask her to open up to him even more. 

"Alright, I think that's it." Maka spoke, breaking the silence surrounding them.

"Okay." Soul replied, unsure of what more he could say. Instead of speaking further though, he simply helps her with the bags of books resting at her feet.

        They're almost out of the gloomy house when Maka stops abruptly in front of him, nearly causing him to run into her. He glanced around her still from to see what caught her attention, but he couldn't see anything. It wasn't until the girl bent down did Soul even think about looking at the ground. Laying innocently was a photo album, face down, and open on the carpet beneath it. He wondered briefly at how they hadn't noticed it before, but the thought was quickly lost as the she picked up the album and turned it over. Both their shoulder's tensed at the contents on the page, but for entirely different reasons. 

        This was the first time Soul had ever seen the man, but he didn't look like anything more than a man who loved the little girl sitting in his lap. His blue gaze content as he looked down at a younger version of Maka and for a split second Soul was forced to come to a realization he'd long forgotten about, that appearances can be deceiving. He eventually found it within himself to pull his gaze away from the picture, choosing to look at Maka instead. She had a far off look in her eyes, as if she were reliving the memory of that day, and perhaps she was. 

        As they looked over the photo album, Soul couldn't help but wonder why she stayed with this man for so long. To be fair he was her father, but there was a limit to how much a person could take from a loved one. As if sensing his turn of thoughts the sandy blond spoke over her shoulder at him.

"He and I used to be so close, you know?" He didn't, but didn't say anything as he chose to let Maka continue instead. "He was always reading me stories, fueling my love of knowledge. He was a very kind and loving man, especially when I was growing up. He was so young, when I came into his life, only 19."

"What happened?" Soul almost hated to ask, the whole situation seemed so sad, and he didn't know how to comfort her.

"Mama and him just couldn't stop arguing, about a lot of things. They were high school sweethearts, but that didn't seem to matter as Papa's gaze started lingering on other women, and as Mama started falling out of love with him even more with each passing day." She stopped to take a deep breath, steadying her nerves. "I could hear their arguments from anywhere in the house, so I would always go to the park and play if they argued during the day. And I would hide in my closet if they argued at night, anything so I couldn't hear their growing anger with each other."

        Soul placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she stopped speaking once more, before she continued once more, her voice gaining a hard edge to it. "One night Mama had apparently had enough of everything, and she left after she said good night to me. It didn't even cross her mind to say a proper goodbye to us or even think about taking me with her. Papa was grief stricken for months, and then something within him changed suddenly. It was then that he-"

        Maka was shaking now, having been cut off by her own chocked sobs, and letting Soul pull her into a comforting hug. He merely rubbed his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion and waited for her to calm down. To be honest, Soul wasn't expecting her to tell him that much, but was glad that she did.

"It's okay," He whispered into her hair, "It's okay Maka, I'm right here, let it out."

* * *

        It wasn't until they arrived back at the apartment that Soul realized he'd forgotten something very important, especially as he noticed people in costumes wandering around.

"I can't believe we both forgot it was Halloween today." Maka said once they reached their floor.

"Ugh! I know!" Soul exclaimed, "As soon as we're done with this we  _have_  to go to the store and pick up not only groceries, but candy."

"Yeah, yeah." She waved a hand and dismissed him, quickly dropping her stuff off in her room.

        After Maka finished crying earlier, she shook her head and her ever present neutral mask was instantly back on as she stuffed to photo book into one of her bags. It had surprised Soul, but then she told him that there were pictures of her mom in there too and she didn't want to lose that.

        Looking at the girl's now shut door, he shakes the last remnants of the memory away, and brings out his phone to open the group chat he has going with his friends. He sends a quick message wondering about getting together tonight and having a movie marathon. Black☆Star was the first to respond, saying he and Tsubaki would be in, and how dare Soul ask such a dumb question. It took a little bit longer for Kidd to reply, but he agreed too, even going so far as offering to have the marathon at his house. It made sense though, seeing as Kidd practically lived in a mansion. 

"Yo Maka!" He called to her and waited before she opened her door to continue, "Kidd's having a movie marathon at his house tonight, wanna come with?"

Despite the clear hesitancy in her eyes she told him, "Yes."

"Cool," Was all Soul said in reply as he continued to message the group chat, "He says we need to be there by 8."

"Alright, I'll definitely be done unpacking by then, and we can even grab some groceries first."

        With that the conversation was apparently over as she shut the door again, and Soul was forced to be alone with his thoughts. Soul didn't move to Death City until his freshman year, but felt like he still should've seen the signs. Hell he should know the signs better than anyone else considering he was also a victim of abuse, albeit a different kind than Maka was subjected to. Her father had clearly been much more physically abusive, whilst Soul's parents where more inclined to be emotionally abusive, though both seemingly enjoyed taking advantage of the trust a young child puts in their parents. 

      Though, like every other teenager on the planet, he was too caught up in his own world. In his own problems, to even think about why the girl in his classes was so quiet. Like he fucking prided himself on being such an observant person, but it apparently didn't matter when it counted most! He should've known better considering how practically everyone in their friend group had a 'tragic backstory' of sorts. 

        Black☆Star's family was full of deranged murderers who all got killed a few months after Black☆Star was already born, who was left on the doorstep of their gym teacher Sid Barrett. Tsubaki's brother was an absolute dick to her her whole life and even tried to kill her on one occasion! Not to mention Liz and Patty's crazy ass backstory before Kidd found them and took them in! Point is they were all fucked up in one way or another, and at the very least he should've been able to tell. 

"Soul?" Maka's soft voice broke him from his self deprecative trance as he raised his head up out of his hands to look into her green orbs. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He asked before he processed her question, "Yeah, I'm good, just got a slight headache."

        He shrugged it off like it was nothing and she looked at him suspiciously before walking over to the door.

"Shall we go?"

"We shall."

* * *

        Somehow, despite how much he's hated it since he's moved out, he actually enjoyed going grocery shopping. He had the slightest inkling that it might have to do with a certain sandy haired girl, but he tried not to dwell on it too much as they hastily put the groceries away and drove to Kidd's house. Soul wasn't sure if it was fortunate or not that there was a significant lack of traffic tonight, allowing them to reach their destination quickly. Mostly because now he had nothing to distract him from his roommate, but hopefully that would be rectified soon. Both Maka and Soul hopped out of the car at the same time, but she managed to reach the door before him, her hand already pressing lightly on the doorbell. 

"Finally you're here!" Patty exclaimed, pulling Maka by her hands into the dark house. 

"What do you mean finally?" Maka replied incredulously, "We're early!"

"Bah!"The energetic blonde continued to drag along the other girl.

        Soul rolled his eyes in amusement at her actions, and closed the door shut behind him. He trailed after them slowly with a fond smile growing steadily on his face. Liz raised her hand in greeting at their entrance and Soul nodded back at her in turn. Kidd, however, chose to stand up from his spot on the couch to give Soul a hearty hug that the white haired teen easily returned.

"How are you feeling Maka?" Kidd asked, turning away from Soul to envelop the green eyed girl in a hug as well.

"A lot better, thanks." She smiled earnestly up at the black haired boy as they pulled apart from each other. 

"Good," Liz reprimanded from her place on the loveseat, "Don't you ever scare us like that again."

"So it's fine if I scare you in other ways?" Maka retorted, a mischievous look in her eye.

"You've become so cruel since we last met!" The older girl whined, causing the sandy haired girl to chuckle into her hand.

"Greetings my loyal subjects!" A loud voice boomed from the front of the house, "Your night just got more interesting!"

"Calm down Black☆Star," A stern yet gentle voice reprimanded.

"I brought snacks so y'all better be hungry!" Black☆Star exclaimed, and sure enough his arms were filled to the brim with snacks. 

"Hell yeah man!" Soul greeted with a wide smirk, "I knew there was a reason we kept you around."

        The blue haired teen rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his heart with mock hurt and shoved Soul in retaliation as soon as he set the food down.

"Black☆Star," Kidd's tone was cool despite the clear annoyance in his eyes, "I told you that I ordered pizza for us already."

"Puh-lease man, you should know better by now that pizza isn't near enough food for a movie night!" Black☆Star countered, throwing an arm over Kidd's shoulders in a bold move to ease the golden eyed boys scowl.

"Oh you two just kiss and make up already!" Liz teased.

"Yeah!" Patty readily agreed, "We want to watch movies, not you two bicker all night!"

        The frown which had taken residence on Kidd's face struggled to break as his friends laughed around him. Eventually he released a dramatic sigh and allowed a small smile to take the frown's place, and sat down on the loveseat between Liz and Patty. Black☆Star snorted at the uptight teens reaction, but simply set all the food down on the table before taking a seat on the chair across from Kidd, blowing a kiss in his direction. The black haired boy grabbed the "kiss" out of the air and promptly tossed it on the ground, earning an offended gasp from the blue haired boy. 

        The interaction was just so dumb that all the teens couldn't help themselves as they laughed hardheartedly together until their stomachs hurt, and Soul couldn't help but be ensnared by Maka's loud guffaw. A sound so surprisingly pleasant and genuine that it caught him off guard for a second. Eventually they were all able to calm down and finally pop in a movie, much to Patty's delight and Liz's fright. 

"No way!" The older girl shook her head in protest as she clung to Kidd, "We did not agree to a horror movie night!"

"Come on sis! It's Halloween!" Patty countered, and apparently Liz couldn't come up with an argument for that as the movie began playing.

        Maka sat between Soul and Tsubaki, so you really can't blame him for his eyes drifting over to the blond to gauge her reactions. She readily let the black haired girl cling to her and put on a brave front at first, despite the fact she pulled a pillow into her lap to hold onto. Her green eyes seemed to hold a strong determination in them as if to remind herself that the movie was only a movie, but her resolve seemed to be steadily chipped away as they got further into the movie. It was a little amusing to watch her front dissolve as her and Tsubaki leaned into each other for comfort, though it wasn't as amusing when the red eyed teen turned his attention back to the TV to see a girl being brutally ripped in half. Well, there went his appetite. 

        Soul set his popcorn back on the table and forced himself to focus on watching the movie instead of the distracting girl beside him, not noticing the smug smirk Black☆Star was giving him throughout the night, especially as red eyes kept drifting back towards a certain blonde haired girl no matter what type of movie they were watching.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka and Soul go bowling

         There was a slight chill in the November air as Maka and Soul walked to his bike, the former wrapping her coat tighter around her. The sandy haired girl could hardly believe how quickly the year had passed by already! She never would've guessed at the beginning of the year she'd be rooming with the laziest kid in class and riding on his bike everywhere. She was actually a little surprised to find how much she truly enjoyed traveling by motor bike, especially considering the driver. 

        Soul was snarky and sarcastic, someone who seemed to care more about being cool than anything else, but he was actually a pretty good guy. To be fair she had certain reservations about living with a man, though could you really blame her? Maka's life finally decided to take a turn for the better in an odd way, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about it yet. Though despite everything, her white haired roommate showed exactly zero of the warning signs she was used to looking for in people, which made her extremely grateful.

        He was overall a very considerate person, respecting her space whenever she needed it. Surprisingly, it was very easy to get used to things around the apartment. For the first time in years Maka finally felt she was able to truly be herself. She never needed to walk on eggshells around Soul, which took a weight off her shoulders she'd long since forgotten was there. A warm smile took comfort on her face, and the green eyed girl couldn't force it down if she tried. As sad as it was, she'd never been happier than she was in these past two weeks of living with Soul. A small part of her brain was telling her to question why that might be, but a larger part of her brain was telling her to ignore it. So she did.

"Hey," Soul called from over his shoulder at her, "Let's do something tonight."

"Like what?" Maka questioned, tilting her head as she looked at the back of his.

"You ever been bowling?" He turned around and started walking backwards as he spoke to her.

"Once when I was really young, I think?" 

"Wanna go?"

        The smirk on his face was too contagious as she felt a grin of her own grow, and really, how could she say no?

* * *

        While the air around them was certainly chilly, Maka never felt warmer. Her arms hugged Soul's stomach comfortably as they rode together, something inside her twinging with excitement as they leaned into the turns together. Maybe she was getting a little too comfortable with him, but she couldn't help it although she tries not to notice just how nice it is to wrap her arms around his waist in an embrace. Or about how good his helmet smells regardless of how much more he's worn it than her and surely he must sweat while wearing it, especially during the sweltering summers of Nevada. Though now that the thought has entered her brain, maybe they should look into getting a helmet of her own?

        Fortunately Death Bowling Alley wasn't that far, so she was able to quickly rid herself of the rather troubling thoughts. They were able to find a parking spot rather easily, but Maka found herself reluctant to let go of the boy in front of her. If the white haired teen noticed that it took her a second longer than usual to remove herself from him, he didn't say anything. Maka had only ever gone bowling once a very long time ago and she felt a little nervous as they got closer to the building. It couldn't be that hard could it? You just have to knock over the pins, that's easy enough. Still as they walked up to the counter and Soul payed for them, she couldn't quite quell her anxieties. 

"You didn't have to pay for me," She told him, "I have my own money."

"Yeah but I wanted to. What's your shoe size?" He questioned.

"6."  She told the person behind the counter.

        The employee quickly returned with both of their shoes and Soul guided Maka to the 8th lane. Once there Soul put on his shoes and set up the information for their lane. Maka also put on her shoes and waited, watching her roommate work the machine and input their names. As she glanced around the bowling alley, she noticed many families and friends were there as well. Funny, she didn't think bowling alley's were that popular anymore, with a shrug at the thought Maka took in the goofy style choices of the building with a content smile on her face.

        Finally she turned her attention back to Soul, taking note of the way he seemed to be giving her the softest look she'd ever seen. That quickly changed as he stuck his tongue out at her, claiming to leave her in the dust with his superb skills. Shaking her head she told him to just get on with it already, a laugh rising out of her as Soul brought his pointer and middle finger up to his eyes, moving them to her then back.

"You're so dumb," She fondly told him, barely able to contain her laughter when he put his hand on his heart in mock hurt.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, "Could I do this if I was 'dumb'?"

        Maka watched with amusement as Soul picked a ball at random, not even really checking to see if he could throw it. With a determined look on his face, he brought the ball up, and back down before releasing it onto the lane. He put a spin on it, though that proved to be a mistake when he barely knocked over two pins. 

"I'm sorry," She tilted her head in mock confusion, "do... what exactly?"

"Oh please, I've got this in the bag."

       The blonde simply rolled her eyes, watching as her roommate was able to knock down the rest of the pins. He was very smug about that, so of course, what else could she do but put a stop to that? Sure, she's not that great at most sports, but the rules of this game were simple. Hit the pins. Nothin' to it. So she gathered some confidence as she tested out the bowling balls in her grasp, quickly finding one that felt right. 

        Maka imitated the stance he took earlier, bringing the ball up to her face, back down, and swinging the ball forward. Her green eyes watched as the bowling ball went down the lane, easily knocking down all of the pins, the TV overhead flashing the word 'Strike' on the screen while Soul was gaping at her.

"That's good, right?" She asked him, playfully oblivious, resting her pointer finger on her chin in thought.

"Yeah, yeah." He dismissed with a smirk on his face, "Beginner's luck, that's all it is."

        He stuck out his tongue at he and she easily returned the gesture. As they laughed together and constantly one upped the other's score, Maka couldn't help but try to remember the last time she'd smiled this much. It was a little sad to think about actually, since even when she a child she still wasn't this happy. Oh gosh, she was happy! A warm feeling flooded her chest as Soul made another witty quip about something or another, and she realized that she felt utterly and completely  _safe_. Unafraid of anyone coming to hurt her, and it was actually really nice. 

* * *

"Beginner's luck, huh?" Maka mocked as Soul rolled his eyes at her, she had beat him easily by 30 points during the first match and 20 by the second. Currently they were on their way towards the arcade section of the building.

"Alright confess!" He pointed an accusatory finger at her with a playful smirk on his face, "You've swindled me and you're actually, like, a famous bowler."

"Oh no!" She gasped, her hand covering her mouth in mock shock, "You've figured me out! How could this have happened?"

"Cause I'm super cool and smart, obviously."

        Soul walked in front of her, forcing her to stop, and his hand formed an "L" shape that rested beneath his chin as he gave her a faux suave look. A soft smile overtook the blonde's features as she lightly shoved him out of the way, continuing towards the arcade machines, the pink that dusted her cheeks seemingly unnoticed by the other teen.

        The white haired boy caught back up easily, claiming he wouldn't go so easy on her this time around. Of course Maka couldn't just _not_  rise to the challenge as the next words slipped out of her mouth.

"Want to make a bet?" What? She could be just as playful as her other friends, even if they didn't always see this side of her.

"Like what?" Soul raised his eyebrows in curiosity and looked the girl up and down suspiciously.

"Whoever beats the other at the most games by the end of the night has to make dinner." The smirk on her face was contagious as Soul smirked back at her in turn.

"You've go yourself a deal short stack." They shook hands in agreement even as Maka sputtered out indignantly that she wasn't _that_  short.

"What ever helps you sleep at night, nerd."

"Ugh! I am _so_ kicking your ass!"

        From machine to machine they were neck and neck the whole time; for every game Maka won, Soul easily caught back up. Their laughs echoed throughout the entire arcade and the blonde almost felt bad for how much noise they were making, almost. She couldn't remember a time in her life she enjoyed more, even her childhood adventures with Black☆Star couldn't beat this! Besides, for once she was being a  _normal_ teenager, and really, who was going to stop her? Certainly not the employees or other patrons.

        There was a quick moment where Maka's competitive nature nearly outweighed her fun when Soul was able to get ahead of her by two whole points thanks to air hockey and ski ball! Thankfully though the sandy haired girl was able to catch back up in no time, and laser tag ended up being Soul's downfall. 

"Woo who!" She exclaimed with excitement as she jumped in the air, doing a little twirl as well in her impromptu victory dance, "Haha! I won!"

"This time you did," Soul promised once she finally calmed down and looked at him, "I'm gonna train so hard and beat you next time Albarn."

"I'd like to see you try Evans," And she even had the nerve to stick her tongue out at him. 

"Hah! Just you wait."

        The walk back to Soul's bike was short, but nice. Though Maka was having a hard time getting the soft look of Soul's out of her brain, it nearly stopped her in her tracks when she finished her little dance and looked back at him. His gaze was so tender that it made her warm inside. Thankfully they didn't say anything to each other until they got back home, allowing for Maka to squash down whatever feelings being so close to Soul was giving her.

"So what do you want to eat?" He asked as she hopped off the bike.

"Hmm..." Her finger rested upon her chin in thought, "How about spaghetti?" 

"Sure," He shrugged as he held open the door to their apartment complex.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

"I honestly had the time of my life tonight," She told him earnestly over dinner, peeking at him through her bangs, "Thank you."

Something must've gotten caught in his throat because he coughed and looked away, scratching the back of his neck with his hand, "Anytime." After a second of thought he quickly added as he met her eyes once more, suddenly serious, " If you ever just need a break from anything, or just want to do something else, just tell me and I'll make it happen."

        She didn't know how to reply to that, so she simply nodded and took a drink of water due to her suddenly dry mouth, opting to ignore the pounding in her chest. Recently she'd been feelings things she'd never experienced before, and the blonde wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not. Logically she knew the feelings she had for Soul were different than what she felt for her other friends, but she didn't know how to explain it. None of her books had prepared her for this... situation.

        Absentmindedly the girl picked at her food, a small frown pulling down her features while a sort of bravery ran through her. With a newfound determination Maka managed to look Soul in the eyes as she asked a question that had been floating around her mind these past few days.

"Why do you think I should go to therapy?"

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Soul Eater or any of the characters.


End file.
